The Resource For Musicals

Synopsis

Once upon a time there was a beleaguered young maiden called
Cinderella, an abstracted boy named Jack and a childless Baker and his
Wife. The curtain rises on their cottages, where the much-put-upon
Cinderella cleans the kitchen; the impoverished Jack futilely attempts
to milk his haggard cow and companion, Milky-White, and the Baker and
his Wife prepare the next day's bread. A Narrator begins to tell
their tales, as they express musically their various wishes,
cross-cutting from one to the next: Cinderella wants to go to the
King's three-night Festival, Jack is hoping that Milky-White will give
some milk, and the Baker and his Wife dream of a child.

Each of their reveries is interrupted: Jack's Mother appears and
insists her son sell his beloved "pet"; a ravenous Little Red
Ridinghood comes calling on the Baker in preparation for a visit to
her sick Grandmother, and Cinderella's Stepmother and stepsisters,
Florinda and Lucinda, enter and mock her. The Stepmother throws a pot
of lentils into the ashes and tells the girl that if she can remove
them within two hours, she may come along to the ball at the Festival.
Cinderella, who can talk to birds, enlists their help in accomplishing
the task. But when her family, including her Father, leaves for the
palace, she is left behind.

Just after Red Ridinghood, her basket filled with bread and cakes,
begins her journey into the woods, the Baker and his Wife hear another
knock at the door. It so happens that they live in the house of the
Baker's parents, who died years ago in a "baking accident" - or so the
Baker believes - and the cottage next door belongs to an ugly Witch,
who has come to pay the couple a visit. She reveals that years ago
the Baker's father, to please his wife, stole greens from her garden,
including some special beans. In exchange the Witch insisted that the
Baker's parents give up their unborn child, a sister the Baker never
knew he had - a girl named Rapunzel, whom the Witch has hidden
somewhere in the forest. But the Witch didn't stop there. She laid a
curse: their "family tree would always be a barren one."

However, she tells the Baker and his Wife they can undo the spell if,
before the stroke of midnight in three days' time, they can go into
the woods and find the four ingredients needed for a potion: "the cow
as white as milk; the cape as red as blood; the hair as yellow as
corn; the slipper as pure as gold."

The Baker insists that, since the curse is on his
house, he must lift the spell without the aid of his Wife, who wants
to help. Before he begins his quest - alone - he discovers six beans
in a jacket belonging to his father and takes them along in case they
are the special beans the Witch spoke of.

So the Baker sets out to break the spell; Jack goes off to sell
Milky-White for "no less than five pounds," as his Mother warns him,
and Cinderella travels to her Mother's grave, to ask for guidance
(Prologue: Into the Woods).

As the characters begin their journeys their homes disappear, and we
are in the woods.

Cinderella stops at a hazel tree, watered by her own tears, which
marks the spot where her Mother is buried. Here she reiterates her
desire to go to the Festival (Cinderella At the Grave). Her
wishes are answered, as a silvery gown and golden slippers drop down
from the tree.

After she runs off to attend the ball, Jack is seen roaming through
the forest with Milky-White. He is greeted by a Mysterious Man, who
lingers just long enough to tell the boy he'd be lucky to exchange his
useless cow "for a sack of beans." In another part of the forest Red
Ridinghood encounters a surprise of her own: a hungry, lascivious Wolf
(Hello, Little Girl) who convinces her to take a brief detour
en route to Granny's.

Unknown to the Wolf or Red Ridinghood, the Baker has witnessed this
scene and is concerned for the little girl's safety. But the Witch
admonishes him to forget about the girl and go after her red cape.
The Baker is now so frazzled he can't remember the precise ingredients
needed to break the spell. Fortunately his Wife, looking for any
excuse to join him, has come after him with his scarf, and sets him
straight. An argument ensues about whether she should return home,
but they stop fighting when they spot Jack and his cow "as white as
milk." The Baker's Wife suggests to Jack that he swap Milky-White for
five of their six beans, and leads him to believe they carry magic.
Remembering the Mysterious Man's warning, Jack agrees to the exchange
and then tearfully tells Milky-White I Guess This Is Goodbye.

The Baker is upset about using deceit to get the cow, but his Wife
stands firm and, speaking of the beans, rationalizes that Maybe
They're Magic. The Baker insists his Wife take the cow and go
home. Elsewhere, the Witch goes to visit Rapunzel, who spends her
time singing wordlessly and combing her hair, locked away in a
doorless tower, which now rises into view. In order to gain entrance,
the Witch calls out, "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair to me."
From a window on high, hair "as yellow as corn" descends, and the
Witch climbs up. She is unknowingly observed by a Prince, who
determines to ask the beautiful maiden to "let down her hair" to him
the very next day.

The Baker is in pursuit of Red Ridinghood, who finally arrives at her
Grandmother's - where she is promptly swallowed up by the Wolf, who
has already devoured the old woman. The Baker rescues them both from
the confines of the Wolf's stomach. It's been an eye-opening day for
Red Ridinghood, who sums up her new awareness with I Know Things
Now and rewards the Baker with her cape.

Jack, however, does not make his mother happy when he returns to their
cottage with the five beans, which she throws on the ground in
disgust. Back in the forest, the Baker's Wife is making her way home
with Milky-White when Cinderella stumbles into view. She is running
from a Prince - brother to the first - and hides behind a tree as he
and his Steward come searching for her. The Prince asks the Baker's
Wife whether she has seen the girl, and when she responds that she has
not, he and his Steward continue on their way.

Cinderella is about to leave as well, but the Baker's Wife is
enthralled by the Prince and bombards her new acquaintance with
questions about him. More confused than enchanted by his attention,
Cinderella responds that he's A Very Nice Prince. She is
ready to start for home when she notices a giant beanstalk growing in
the distance; simultaneously, the Baker's Wife notices that the girl
is wearing slippers "as pure as gold." She is all set to follow
Cinderella when Milky-White takes off in the other direction.

The Baker's Wife chases after the cow, as the day draws to a close.
All the characters are seen going about their business in the woods,
oblivious of each other. They pause just long enough to deliver
various morals (First Midnight) all, that is, except
Rapunzel, who only sings her wordless song.

Jack has returned from his first trip up the beanstalk and, with new
insight - not to mention stolen gold, with which he hopes to buy back
his cow - explains what he learned upon discovering that there are
Giants In the Sky.

The Baker and his Wife meet by chance, and she is forced to admit that
Milky-White has run away. They go off in separate directions, and the
Baker's Wife happens upon the two Princes. Fascinated, she
eavesdrops. Both express the Agony they are experiencing in
winning the hands of their respective maidens. Rapunzel's Prince
tells his brother where his love is locked away, and when he describes
her as having "hair as yellow as corn," the Baker's Wife is off in
search of the maiden's hair.

Things seem to be falling into place for the childless couple. The
Mysterious Man has found Milky-White and returned her to the Baker,
and the Wife succeeds in yanking a long strand of hair from Rapunzel,
giving them three of the four objects they need. When the Baker
learns that his Wife has managed to obtain the hair, he realizes what
she already knew: It Takes Two. Their joy is tempered when
Milky-White abruptly dies.

The second midnight passes. After burying the animal the couple
bicker over how to get another cow, and the Baker gives his Wife their
one remaining bean. It is ultimately decided that he will search for
a new cow, and she will again attempt to secure Cinderella's shoe.

Meanwhile, the Witch has discovered that Rapunzel is being visited by
a Prince; she drags the girl from her tower and implores her to
Stay With Me. Finally, unwilling to share her with anyone,
the Witch chops off Rapunzel's hair and casts her out to a remote
desert. Rapunzel's Prince, attempting to escape the sorceress, falls
into a thicket and is blinded by thorns.

Jack, returning from a second trip up the beanstalk, encounters Red
Ridinghood, who is now wearing a cape made of wolfskins. He shows her
a golden egg and the hen that produced it and tells her of the Giant's
golden harp. The now-skeptical Red Ridinghood calls him a liar and
dares him to return to the kingdom in the sky and fetch the harp -
which, of course, he proceeds to do.

Cinderella hobbles on, clearly wearing only one shoe, and mulls over
her indecisiveness regarding the Prince (On the Steps Of the
Palace). Desperate for the remaining slipper, the Baker's Wife
gives her the last magic bean - which she throws away. Only when the
Prince's Steward closes in on her does Cinderella hand over the golden
slipper, swapping it for the other woman's shoes, easier for running.

Suddenly a tremendous thud is heard, which reverberates throughout the
forest: there is a dead Giant in Jack's backyard. The ogre was
pursuing Jack, but the boy was able to stop him by chopping down the
beanstalk.

The Baker now returns with another cow, and it appears that the
Witch's demands have been met. But she discovers that this cow is
not as white as milk; it has been covered with flour. She tells the
couple to fetch the dead Milky-White, whom she proceeds to bring back
to life. The Witch instructs the Baker and his Wife to feed the other
items to the cow and then milk her - the milk will be the potion.
Milky-White, though, is still dry. The problem is that the Witch
cannot have handled any of the ingredients needed for the potion, and
she has touched Rapunzel's hair. But the Mysterious Man comes to the
rescue, telling them to feed corn silks to the cow. The Witch reveals
to the Baker that the Mysterious Man is in fact his father, who
abandoned his son after his wife died. As the cow gives milk, the
Mysterious Man, at last fulfilled by having helped end the curse on
his house, keels over and dies before he and the Baker can speak.

The Witch drinks the potion and, with the spell broken, is restored to
her former state of youth and beauty but loses her powers; the Baker's
Wife becomes pregnant, and a wealthy Jack is reunited with
Milky-White. As for the others...Cinderella marries the Prince after
he discovers that hers is the foot that fits the golden slipper;
Rapunzel encounters her Prince wandering aimlessly in the desert and,
overcome at being reunited, restores his sight when two of her tears
wet his eyes; Florinda and Lucinda are blinded by pigeons as
punishment for their wickedness (Ever After).

But as the first act reaches its happy conclusion, another giant
beanstalk begins to grow.

Act II

Once upon a time...later. The scene is similar to the opening of the
first act, but this time, Cinderella sits on her throne in the palace,
surrounded by her eager-to-please step family; Jack and his Mother
have been considerably spruced up, as has their cottage, which now
houses two friends for Jack - Milky-White and the golden harp - and
the Baker's home has become too small for a family of three. As the
Narrator explains and the others agree, despite a few complaints all
are content with their lot (Prologue: So Happy).

But not for long. An explosive noise is heard, and the Baker's house
crashes down around the family. The now-beautiful, powerless Witch
appears and tells them that her garden has been trampled upon and
destroyed. The huge footprints seem to indicate one thing: a Giant is
on the loose. The Baker relays the news to Jack and his Mother, then
heads to the castle to inform the royal family and to seek assistance.
Soon after he returns home Little Red Ridinghood stops by and explains
that her house has collapsed, her mother is gone and she is once again
on her way to Grandmother's. The Baker and his Wife realize it is not
safe to stay in their cottage and decide to escort the girl to her
destination; Jack leaves home in search of the new Giant, and
Cinderella, advised by the birds that there is trouble at her Mother's
grave, goes off to investigate. And so we are back in the woods,
which show more and more signs of havoc as the action progresses.

While the others are in the forest on urgent business, the Princes are
preoccupied with different concerns: two more seemingly unobtainable
maidens who have them in Agony.

They head off in different directions. The Baker's family and Red
Ridinghood appear, unable to find the path of Grandmother's house. As
they search in vain, they encounter the Prince's Steward, Cinderella's
family and the Witch. Suddenly there is a loud noise, the earth
shakes and a Giant hovers over them. The Giant is a woman. She has
come in search of Jack, to avenge the death of her husband. They
explain that Jack is not there, but the near-sighted Giant doesn't
believe them. Not knowing what to do, they offer her the Narrator
instead - they don't like the way he has been telling the story. He
convinces them to let him go when he makes them realize that, if he is
killed, they'll have to work out their stories on their own. But as
he backs away from the group, the Witch throws him to the Giant.

Jack's Mother appears and begins arguing with the Giant. The Steward,
afraid the old woman will get them all killed, hits her over the head
with his staff, mortally wounding her. An hysterical Rapunzel runs
on, cannot be restrained by the Witch and runs off in the direction of
the Giant, who, in her relentless pursuit of Jack, tramples the girl.
Jack's Mother dies, but not before she gets the Baker to promise that
he will not let her son be harmed.

The Witch mourns the death of Rapunzel (Lament) and vows to
find Jack and hand him over to the Giant. The members of the royal
family go into hiding. But the Baker, his Wife and Red Ridinghood are
determined to protect Jack. Leaving their baby with Red Ridinghood,
the Baker and his Wife go off in opposite directions in search of the
boy.

As the Baker's Wife makes her way through the forest, she runs into
Cinderella's Prince, who seduces the wary, if willing, woman (Any
Moment). At the same time, in another part of the woods, the
Baker comes upon Cinderella at her Mother's now-destroyed grave and
persuades her to return with him for safety. Meanwhile, the romantic
interlude between their spouses comes to an end.

The Prince hurries off, and the Baker's Wife reflects on their
encounter (Moments In the Woods). Realizing that her place
is with her husband, she begins to make her way back. But it quickly
becomes apparent that she is lost, and as she tries to find the right
direction, the shadow of the Giant appears. The Baker's Wife panics,
tumbles backward and is crushed to death by falling trees.

The Baker, joined by Cinderella, has returned to his child and Red
Ridinghood. They await the return of his Wife. Instead, the Witch
comes along, with Jack tightly in tow, and informs the Baker that his
Wife is dead. Soon everyone is blaming everyone else for the presence
of the Giant (Your Fault). The Witch silences the group and
offers her perspective (Last Midnight) then disappears in a
cloud of smoke.

The distraught Baker abandons abandons his son and the others, leaving
his child in the care of Cinderella. As he runs away, just like his
father before him, he meets up with the Mysterious Man. There follows
a passionate exchange between the Baker and this apparition of his
father, which helps him understand it is time to assume responsibility
(No More).

The Baker returns to the group and, together, they devise a strategem
to slay the Giant, with the help of Cinderella's faithful birds.
While the others go off to put their plan into motion, Cinderella
stays behind with the baby. Her Prince wanders through. She is upset
that he has betrayed her and tells him she cannot return to him.
Regretfully, he leaves.

Red Ridinghood returns with the news that her Grandmother is gone. As
Jack and the Baker sit in a tree, ready to strike the unsuspecting
Giant, the Baker informs the lad that his mother has been killed. The
older pair comfort the younger ones with the thought that No One
Is Alone. United, they kill the Giant.

One by one the other characters - dead and alive - return and present
their morals to the story. With the words "Once upon a time," the
Baker begins to tell his son the tale we have just heard. The Witch
appears and shares her new-found wisdom - Finale: Children Will
Listen.